Bill O'Reilly's Double Standard - Protester Edition

Bill O'Reilly loathes the Occupy movement and has proclaimed, based on a NYC streetencounter with an alleged Occupy protester, that they are terrorists. But Bill's feelings about protesters seem to be based on whether or not they agree with him. Those who don't are deemed anathema while those who are in synch with his views are safe from his wrath. In other words, in Bill O'Reilly's world, not all protesters are created equal. Bill O'Reilly, arbiter of all that is right and just, is a hypocrite? Oh, Noooo......

Bill's different set of standards is demonstrated by his lack of outrage over the anti-choice protesters who disrupted HHS Secretary Kathleen's Sebelius speech at Georgetown. So one wonders if he would be equally (cuz he's so fair and balanced) sanguine about students protesting a Republican speaker. A little stroll down memory lane provides the answer. It seems that in 2006 he was rather incensed about Georgetown students who - gasp - turned their backs to torture supporting former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. While Bill had no problem with those yelling "baby killer" at Sebelius, he claimed that the aforementioned students were "disruptive" because they didn't listen to Gonzalez. Bill pontificated that there's "nothing wrong with protest but disrespect is another matter." So are we to understand that yelling "baby killer" during a speech by a member of the president's cabinet is fine and dandy. I guess, in Bill's book of manner, it is. Go figure.

Bill's lack of any reaction to the disruptive antics of his fellow "pro-life" zealots seems to contradict his sentiment about respecting the rights of those who have opposing viewpoints. In Bill's world, "pro-life" aggression would appear to be acceptable whilst that of Occupy is not so much. And if Bill wants to see some truly disruptive and disrespectful protest, he should drive by a Planned Parenthood and watch his fellow "pro-life" crazies try to shame and harass women who are accessing safe and legal health care.

In Bill's world, when it comes to protest, it's "different strokes for different folks." But Bill isn't exactly everyday people so I guess it's all good....